This story examines the relationship between undocumented day laborers and the Lake Forest, California community in which they live. It appeared in the November 2008 issue of the Denver Voice.

“Wedged between the railroad tracks and busy El Toro Road, bound by auto repair shops and a lumberyard, near the now vacant nursery with the dead potted trees and rented security fence, Orange Avenue meets Jeronimo Road…” Read the entire story

“Pichoneros” are what the day laborers who hang out along Camino Capistrano in Dana Point, California call themselves. They liken themselves to pigeons (pichon is pigeon in Spanish), scratching their livelihoods from the dirt. This story looks at the pichoneros who, as the economy falters, find it harder and harder to survive. And many contemplate returning to Mexico, a place some have not called home for decades. This story was a finalist for the 2010 NASNA Best Feature Award.

“Patti Church eased her car around the corner and into the swirling crowd, stopping near the piles of clothing spilling from ripped plastic trash bags. Flimsy folding tables stood waiting for her. As Patti opened her car door, she became the center of the crowd; volunteers looked to her for direction, asking questions—where do you want this, who is to do that? One man, his face bristling with a silver stubble, opened Patti’s trunk and began unloading paper grocery bags to the folding tables, others grabbed cases of soda, boxes of cakes, plastic trays of salads, until the wobbly tables were top-heavy with food. Another, Francisco, grabbed a box from the car’s back seat, then stood shuffling from foot to foot, looking for an opening to the tables. As Patti approached, about fifty men, their weathered hands warmed in worn pockets, congealed into a tight group…” Read the entire article